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Wednesday Word: Pragmatic

Every Wednesday, the Deb from Deb Runs will be providing a word about which to blog. Kind of like a nice little blog prompt. Posts can be fitness or health related, but don’t have to be, so really anyone can play along. Just be sure to link up with InLinkz on Deb’s main post, and share the love by reading and commenting on other’s participant’s posts.

Today’s word is PRAGMATIC.

This is how the word is defined:

Pragmatic people have their feet on the ground and their heads there, too. No time for dreaming! They’re realistic. A pragmatic approach to something is the sensible one.

In life and with my running, I am NOT very pragmatic.

I am impulsive!

That’s not to say I do not plan. I do. A Lot.

But I make decisions and afterward, plan and think about them.

Is that good for a runner? Probably not.

But I am 63, still running and winning age group awards so here is my take on the benefits of NOT being pragmatic.

You take risks and find out that you are capable of more than you thought.

After only running 5k races, I signed up for a half marathon. I didn’t tell anyone because I wasn’t sure I was could do it. Best decision ever. I can say that now after running 19 more halfs.

You meet super people that you never would have.

I agreed to help 2 runners whom I barely knew run their first half in Philly (I met one during a race running up a long hill) and I roomed someone else that I had never met before. We had a great time and I have stayed in touch with them ever since.

You create memorable experiences.

I had ankle surgery and hadn’t run in 5 months. I had signed up for the race and planned to walk it but when the gun went off, I started to run and didn’t stop until the end. This photo made the cover of the local newspaper. Yes, it was stupid and I could have experienced a serious set back but I will never forget crossing the finish line with tears running down my face. The ortho told me that I wouldn’t run again and this meant that I would.

Things never turn how how you plan anyway.

I ran a half in April and then ran some 5ks and went on vacation to Florida. So I never got around to training for this May half marathon. I decided to run it anyway and it turned out fine. The race got canceled due to the heat. And the non-pragmatic me ran the 13.1 miles rather than getting the bus.

You face your fears and become more confident.

I signed up for the RNR Brooklyn without any idea about the logistics. I didn’t have a place to stay, the hotels were too expensive and I hadn’t been to Brooklyn since I was 5. I wound up staying in a AirBNB, navigating the subways and being a solo tourist in a new place. It was scary at first but since then I have run a 5K in NYC and plan to do it again in November. The subways don’t scare me anymore nor do walking the streets alone.

Being spontaneous is more fun.

I was in Denver at a conference. I wanted to run. I also wanted to see the city. So I skipped the workshops on the last day and signed up for a City Running Tour. I had never done one. It was about 100 degrees and my guide was young and fast. But it was awesome. Who knew?

Many of you will think me crazy. And I urge you to continue stretching, planning and doing whatever has made you a successful runner.

Mr. Judy bears some of the blame for Bandit. I was just saying to him today that I was thinking about how not a single one of our dogs was every easy in the beginning (although this takes it to a whole new level and I am still definitely hoping it’s temporary).

There are even more pragmatic runners than me out there! I have to be, though, or I get injured.

Love the spontaneous vibe and carefree approach! I can be pragmatic when I’m training for a full marathon, ie, trying to follow a plan and make sure I’m responsible about getting to bed early and up early and prioritizing my runs above all else…and in life, I’m def a mix, depending on the context. Pragmatic when it comes to school work and going after my professional goals, but in terms of free time and social life and planning last minute trips and all that, I am def a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, spontaneous dreamer type!

I am realistic about things, but i am also not very afraid to try something new that will get my heart rate up, so I really don’t know what the heck I am LOL
I love that you are willing to go and give it a try!
There are risks, but the when you accomplish what you set out to do, it sure feels good!

You captured my philosophy in a nutshell when you said “things never turn out like you planned”. Isn’t that the truth? I’m pretty impulsive/spontaneous too. Pragmatic in some areas of my life, but not too much.

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My Favorite Quotes

“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” ~ John Bingham

“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” ~ Lance Armstrong

"In running, it doesn't matter if you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that." ~ Fred LeBow

“There is no better feeling in the world than to take your mind and body to a place you thought it couldn’t go; a place you thought it didn’t belong. You should all try it sometime.” ~ Shauna Reid

“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must, just never give up.” ~ Dean Karnazes

"I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." ~ Steve Prefontaine

"From the moment you cross the start line, you know that crossing the finish line will be one of the best moments of your life." ~ Author Unknown

"You have a choice, you can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face." ~ Gatorade 3

"There is no failure in running, or in life, as long as you keep moving." ~ Amby Burfoot

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." ~ John Bingham

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